


Turn off the lights (and turn off the shyness)

by Sparklyfairymira (myonetruelove)



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Smut, Suicide Attempt, Triggers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-06-30 12:33:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 16,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19853281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myonetruelove/pseuds/Sparklyfairymira
Summary: When Jasper tells his family that he is bringing home his new girlfriend for Christmas, no one expects for things to go so far off the rails. Misunderstandings and mental health issues abound.Or the one where Bellamy is an ass to Clarke for things that aren't her fault.





	Turn off the lights (and turn off the shyness)

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! So this is a first for me in many ways. Not my first big bang, but the first time I've submitted a one-shot for it. Also, the first time I've written a 16k+ one-shot. I just couldn't figure out a place to split it so here it is all at once. It is unbetaed because I am terrible with getting things to my wonderful beta in time for that. Once she has had time to go over it I will post the updated version.
> 
> There are definite trigger warnings for this. Mental health issues are discussed and some events happen due to it. Mentions of a suicide attempt are also mentioned. If these are things that will trigger you, maybe not read it. 
> 
> There's a possibility of more being written in this universe, especially focusing on the other couples, but that might be a little while.
> 
> The awesome artwork was done by [@braveprincess](https://braveprincess.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr!! She did a great job with very little information!!

The Kane household was in a flurry as they prepared for their blended unconventional family to descend for holiday break. Every December all of the kids would be home from college for most of the month of December and even those that were no longer in school would stay at their childhood home to celebrate Christmas as a family. 

Marcus Kane had been a bachelor for much of his life, never finding a woman that he could settle down with. There had been a girl that he’d been in love with during high school, but when they had gone to different colleges they had drifted apart. Marcus knew that she had married, but that was all of the information that he knew about the one that got away. This changed when he met Aurora Blake, mother to two beautiful children. Bellamy had been six and Octavia only six months old when he’d met their mother. It had been like a scene out of a Hallmark movie.

The year was 1999 and Marcus was a first-year law student at Yale. He was supposed to be in court in an hour to assist the lawyer he was interning for, but his suit had torn and he didn’t have time to head home and get a different one. He’d gone into a seamstress’s shop and there was Aurora. It had been love at first sight. He didn’t care that she had two children by two different men - in fact, he had loved those kids as if they had been his own blood. He didn’t care that she was poor and that her family had kicked her out when she was just 16 - in fact, he had loved her more for it. 

Every argument that Aurora presented as a reason that they should not date, Marcus had an answer to. It took over a month for her to agree to dinner, but from there it was over. Marcus came from money and had a job lined up for when he graduated at his father’s law firm in his home town just 45 minutes from Hartford. They married six months after meeting, shortly after Octavia’s first birthday and life became so much easier for the Blakes. They no longer had to struggle and they were happy.

Four years later Marcus came home from work with a young girl, Raven Reyes. She was only eight, already smarter than most adults, and with a chip on her shoulder. Her father was in jail for murder and her mother had just been sent to jail for dealing drugs. Marcus’s firm had been representing her and when he found out that Raven had no other family, he knew that she belonged with his family. This started a trend of bringing home children who had no one and making them their own.

Monty Green arrived a year later after his parents were killed in a plane crash that he had miraculously survived. At six years old he had been so small and broken, refusing to speak for almost a year after the crash. It would be another three years before Jasper Jordan arrived on their doorstep. Jasper’s father had been a soldier who had died before ever meeting his son and his mother had committed suicide, her bi-polar too much to handle on her own while she tried to raise a wild son. Jasper and Monty became fast friends, brothers in an instant, due to their shared interest and the fact that their birthdays were only two days apart. 

Things were never easy, all of the children had needed special care, but Aurora and Marcus had an endless supply of compassion and love to share with them. They became a family, one that was always close, and would do anything for one another. 

“Jasper just texted! They’re ten minutes out!” Octavia ran down the stairs, waving around her phone.

Marcus sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t text while he was driving.”

“Really, dad?” Octavia rolled her eyes. “Who cares about that? Everyone does that all the time. I just can’t wait to meet his girlfriend!”

Bellamy looked up from the book that he was reading. “So, that’s like a real thing? I thought he was joking.” He turned his attention to Monty. “Do you know anything about this girl?”

“Nope.” Monty shook his head. “He never told me that he was dating anyone. I was as shocked as everyone else when he said he was bringing home his girlfriend for Christmas. I mean, I love Jasper - he’s my other half, but I’m a little worried about who would date him.”

Octavia laughed. “I was wondering the same thing.”

“Alright guys, be nice. Just because your brother is a little,” Marcus paused as he searched for the right word, “different, doesn’t mean that he couldn’t have found a perfectly nice, normal girl to date.”

Now it was Bellamy’s turn to laugh. “Jasper? Date a nice, normal girl? Do you remember Allison, that girl he dated in high school? The goth one?” He rolled his eyes. “Or that girl from his freshman year of college? What was her name? Laura? She was straight-up crazy.”

“Okay, I will admit that Jasper does attract a strange type of girl, but a dad has to hope, right?” Marus perked up as he heard a car pull into the driveway. “That must be them.” He looked around at each of them. “Be nice.”

“Jasper, I can carry my own bag.”

“I’ve got it. I can be a gentleman.” Jasper laughed as he swung the door open, bags flying from his hand as he lost his grip. Jasper looked between his family and the young blonde behind him. “Okay, maybe I should have let you carry it.” He shrugged as he grabbed Clarke’s hand, pulling her into the kitchen. “C’mon in, meet the fam.”

Monty’s eyes widened when he met Clarke’s. They had met on numerous occasions when he had visited Jasper on campus. He found it weird that they were dating after all Jasper had complained numerous times that Clarke had friend-zoned him back in freshman year.

“Fam, this is Clarke Griffin. Clarke, this is my dad Marcus, Bellamy, Octavia and you’ve met Monty.” Jasper smiled proudly as Clarke shook each hand that was offered to her, hugging Monty when he got close. “So, yeah. I told you I had a girlfriend.”

Clarke’s head spun toward Jasper. Had he just said that she was his girlfriend? Because that was definitely not the case. She opened her mouth to dispute the fact when Jasper laid his hand on her arm as he grabbed her bag from the floor. 

“We never doubted you, Jasper.” Marcus shook his head, a small smile on his face. 

“Yeah, whatever. I’m going to show Clarke to her room.” Jasper began to pull her from the kitchen. “Don’t worry, Clarke. You have your own room, we’re rich. I told you that we were rich.”

“Don't worry, Jas, I doubted you the whole time!” Octavia called from behind them.

Clarke allowed herself to be led from the kitchen, still confused, as she listened to Jasper talk a mile a minute, not stopping until they stopped in front of a door at the back of the house. “This is the guest room and since you’re a guest, you’ll get to stay here.” He pushed open the door and pulled her inside.

“Jasper, stop!” Clarke finally came to her senses, pulling her arm from his grasp. “Why did you tell your family that I’m your girlfriend?”

Jasper shrugged. “I know that you don’t like labels, but it’s the easiet way to explain us to them.”

Clarke shook her head. “What are you talking about Jasper? We’re friends, just friends. I don’t know why you’re suddenly acting as if that has changed.”

Jasper rolled his eyes. “Right, Clarke. Whatever you say. Just keep messing around.” He headed towards the door. “I’m going to go up to my room and take a nap. I’ll see you at dinner.”

“Jasper, seriously. You need to wait. We have to talk about-” Clarke cut off as she exited the room only to find Jasper already halfway up the stairs. “What the hell?”

“Clarke?” Monty’s voice was quiet as he stood at the other end of the hallway.

“Monty, hey.” Clarke shook her head. “I don’t know what’s going on with Jasper. He’s been weird the last few weeks, but I don’t know where he got the idea we were dating? Is it because I agreed to come home with him for the winter break? He knows that things aren’t good with my mom which I why I had thought that he invited me, but he just ignored me when I tried to talk to him.”

Monty sighed. “Honestly, I was a little afraid that might be what was going on. Do you mind if we sit and talk for a minute?” Monty nodded towards her room.

“No, not at all.” Clarke followed Monty into the room, sitting beside him on the bed. “What’s going on?”

“I’m not 100% sure, but it was weird that two days ago Jasper said he was bringing home his girlfriend. He hadn’t even said that he’d met anyone or even been on a date. But everyone was just so happy to hear that he’d met someone that I just let it go. When I saw you were with him, it just seemed weirder. I know back in freshman year you’d told Jasper that you didn’t want to be anything but friends, I mean I was there when it happened.” He paused. “I mean, you didn’t change your mind, did you?”

Clarke shook her head. “No way. I love Jasper, but honestly? I think of him more like a little brother. Someone to hang out with and watch out for. Not date.”

Monty nodded. “Has anything else out of the ordinary happened lately? He didn’t try and kiss you or anything did he?”

Clarke thought about it for a minute. “Not that I can think of. I mean, he did ask me out again a few months ago, but I told him that I just didn’t see him that way, that we were better off as friends. We kept hanging out like we always did, but he did insist on paying all the time. You don’t think?” Clarke’s eyes were wide. “Did I do this? Did I lead him on?”

Monty shook his head. “No, I don’t think so. I think that maybe Jas just wasn’t listening. I think we need to let Marcus know what’s going on.”

“Maybe I should just leave?”

“Let’s talk to Marcus first before we make any decisions, okay?” Monty stood up, holding his hand out to Clarke. “Plus my boyfriend will be here soon and you don’t want to miss meeting him, do you?”

“Oh, the mysterious boyfriend! I definitely need to meet him.” Clarke laughed as she let herself be pulled from the room. 

“Marcus, can we talk to you for a minute?” Monty called as they headed towards the kitchen.

“Sure, I’m still in the kitchen.” He smiled when they appeared in the kitchen. “What’s up?”

“I gotta go to work. I’ll be home after dinner.” Octavia placed a kiss on Marcus’s cheek. “Sorry I couldn’t get someone to cover my classes today.”

“It’s okay, O. We can live without you for a night." Bellamy smirked as he sat down on one of the stools at the counter. He quickly dodged the fist that Octavia threw in his direction. “Love you too, little sis.”

Octavia flipped him off before tossing her hair over her shoulder. “It was so nice to meet you, Clarke.” And with that, she was gone.

“Sorry about that.” Marcus grinned. “In this house, someone is always interrupting something.”

“We need to talk about Jasper.” Monty’s face was grim as he looked between Marcus and Bellamy. “I’m beginning to think something is wrong.”

The smile slid from Marcus’s face as both he and Bellamy turned their full attention to Monty. “Why do you say that?”

Monty turned to Clarke. “Go ahead and tell them what you told me.”

“Jasper and I aren’t dating, we never were. He asked me out in freshman year and then a few months ago. I told him that I thought of him as a friend and that’s it. I never really thought anything of it, but Monty asked if anything had happened and I realized that he always insisted on paying so now I’m beginning to think that he thinks we are dating? I just don’t know. I thought I was clear.”

“So you told my brother you didn’t want to date him, but you let him pay for you? Who the hell does that? You were using him from his money? Letting him think that you were interested?” Bellamy rolled his eyes. “This just gets better and better.”

“Excuse me?” Anger flashed in Clarke’s eyes. “I’m not really sure how you got that out of what I said, but let me explain this to you. Jasper and I have been friends since freshman year. He asked me out, I told him no. He said okay, but asked if we could still be friends. And so we were friends. A few months ago, he asked me out again. I said no. We kept hanging out. I didn’t think anything about him paying. We usually argued over who would pay, but he was more insistent so I let him pay more often. I’m not some money-grubbing bitch. I don’t need people to pay for me and I don’t appreciate you making me out to be someone that I'm not.”

“All I’m getting out of this is that my brother liked you and you strung him along. If you don’t like the way it makes you sound, maybe you shouldn’t explain it that way.”

“Bellamy-” Marcus started to step around the counter.

Clarke pushed Bellamy’s shoulder as she stepped up so that her face was nearly in his. “Maybe you should turn off your selective fucking hearing. Monty said I should let Marcus know what happened because he was concerned about the way that Jasper was acting. No one invited you to put your two cents in so maybe shut the hell up!”

“Ummm, Clarke?” Monty’s eyes were wide as he watched the interaction.

“Well maybe if you weren't spending all of your time leading my poor brother on, we wouldn’t be in the situation, would we?”

“You know what?” Clarke shook her head as she stepped back. “You can go to hell, you’re a fucking asshole.” Clarke spun on her heel, grabbing her keys from the counter where Jasper had set them. “I’m sorry, Monty. I can’t deal with this shit right now.” She slammed out of the house, her car peeling out of the driveway.

“Seriously, Bellamy? What the hell was that?” Monty didn’t get angry often, but right now he could feel it rising. “Something is wrong with Jasper and you pick a fight with the one person that has been around him this semester, who could tell us about how he has been and chase her out of the house?”

“Did you not listen to her? She was leading Jasper on!” Bellamy stood up, his blood boiling. Who did she think she was? Coming in here all blonde curls and big blue eyes and putting the blame on his brother? He hated girls who led on guys. He’d dealt with enough of those, the ones who just wanted to use him for his money or his body. Jasper shouldn’t have to deal with that.

Marcus put his hand on Bellamy’s shoulder, pushing him back down onto the stool. “Bellamy, I’m not sure what you were listening to, but it wasn’t the same thing that we were. That poor girl was concerned that she somehow let Jasper think that they were dating. She wasn’t using him. She was worried. Like Monty. Like me. You need to take a deep breath.”

Marcus had spent years learning about each of their quirks, the things that would send them spiraling. Bellamy was protective of his family and he didn’t like users. He also had a bad temper that usually had a longer fuse. ‘What’s going on?”

Bellamy shook his head. “We’re talking about Jasper.”

“We were and now we’re talking about you. Why did you react like that?”

Bellamy’s shoulders slumped. “You remember that girl I was seeing?”

“Echo.” Marcus sat on the stool beside Bellamy as Monty leaned against the counter. “What about her?”

“She was cheating on me. I caught her in bed with another guy and she told me the only reason she went out with a teacher was that when you died I’d be loaded and she knew that I would take care of her.”

“Well, she was a bitch.” Monty snorted. “I told you that, Octavia told you that. Raven told you-”

“Okay, Monty, I think he gets the point.” Marcus shook his head. “Do you think that might have been clouding your judgment when it came to Clarke?”

Bellamy gave a small jerk of his shoulders. “Probably.” He glanced up at Monty. “I was an ass, wasn’t I?”

“The biggest.” 

“Shit.” Bellamy sighed as he ran his hands over his face. “Guess, I’ll have to apologize for that. So what about Jasper? Do we think that he’s having an episode?”

“It sounds like it.” Marcus rubbed his eyes. “I’d really like to have talked to Clarke a little more.”

“Jesus, I’m sorry.” He paused. “She didn’t take her stuff, so she should be back, right?”

“Yeah, let’s hope so.” Marcus stood up and started back around the counter. “I’d really like to know what we’re dealing with before we talk to Jasper."

* * *

Who the hell did he think he was telling her that she was using Jasper? He didn’t know anything. Clarke slammed her hands against the steering wheel. She didn’t know why she had let herself get so riled up. She didn’t know Bellamy from a stranger on a street corner, but the knowing look he’d given her and that damn smirk. Okay, maybe he was hot and that might have been a contributing factor, but it had been a long time since she had let herself blow up like that. And she’d just bailed on Monty. Something was up with Jasper and they were supposed to be figuring it out and instead, she’d gotten into a screaming match and stormed out of the house. Without any of her stuff. 

She glanced at her phone as it alerted her to a new message. 

_We’re at O'Malley's. Meet us there?_

Clarke quickly shot a thumbs up in response as the light turned green and she finally had a destination. She could always count on Lincoln.

She and Lincoln hadn’t had a normal upbringing. They shared a dad but had different mothers. Jake Griffin had been poor his whole life, working twice as hard to get top grades so that he could get a scholarship and get the hell out of the tiny town that he had grown up in. He’d thought that he’d blown his chances of getting out when his longtime girlfriend had informed him at graduation that she was pregnant. She, on the other hand, had other plans. She wanted to keep the baby, but she still wanted Jake to go to college. She already had a job and her family would help her. If he went to school he would be able to better support their child. She also knew that if they tried to stay together it would ruin their friendship so they would co-parent as just friends.

Jake had met Abby at freshman orientation. Abby wasn’t interested in dating someone who had a child on the way, but Jake managed to win her over. They were married by their junior year and Clarke was born shortly after they graduated. In the fall while Abby was in med school and Jake just beginning his Master’s program for engineering, Lincoln’s mom died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. Abby and Jake found themselves raising not one, but two children while struggling through the final years of school. It made for some hard years, but once they graduated their kids were set and never had to worry about money.

Lincoln and Abby had never seen eye to eye on a lot of things, and Abby often blamed Clarke’s rebellions on Lincoln. When she had dropped pre-med at the end of her sophomore year to study art, it was Lincoln’s fault. When she decided that she wanted to be a paramedic, it was Lincoln’s fault. Which was exactly why Clarke and her mother weren’t speaking at the moment. Clarke had been supporting herself through the last two years of college by being a paramedic, with a little help from Lincoln. He was her rock.

She pulled into O’Malley’s and headed inside, finding Lincoln and his partner, Murphy, sitting at the bar. “God, I need a drink.”

Lincoln laughed as he pushed his beer to her. “Things not go well with Jasper’s family?”

Murphy perked up. “Jasper Jordan-Kane?”

Clarke glanced around Lincoln to peer at Murphy. “Don’t tell me you know them?”

“Know them? I’ve been best friends with Bellamy since we were kids.”

“Ugh, Bellamy! He is such a fucking asshole!” Clarke chugged the rest of the beer before slamming it down onto the bar. “I should’ve known you were friends with him, you’re both assholes.”

“Yeah, but you love me.” Murphy blew a kiss in her direction.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

Lincoln rubbed his hand down her back. “Alright, so tell me what has you so riled up you were willing to drive into the town where you could run into she-who-shall-not-be-named.”

Clarke laughed as she leaned into his touch. “God, I’ve missed you, Linc.” She waved to the bartender, an ex from high school, and ordered another round for the three of them. “We get to Jasper’s family’s house and he introduced me as his girlfriend.”

Beer spewed from Murphy’s lips. “You’re dating Jasper?!?!”

“No!” Clarke threw her hands in the air. “Hence the weirdness. Before I could correct him, he was dragging me to the guest room. When I tried to talk to him about it, he blew me off and went upstairs to take a nap. Monty, bless his heart, came to talk to me. Asked me if Jasper had been acting weird. Were we really dating? Blah, blah, blah. So I told him we weren’t and he said we needed to let Marcus know. So I go and I tell him, all while Bellamy is sitting there, and before anyone else can say anything Bellamy accuses me of leading Jasper on and using him for his money.” Clarke paused, taking a deep breath. “I _may_ have lost my temper and yelled at him before storming out of the house.”

“Clarke….” Lincoln’s exasperation was clear in just the way he said her name.

“Nah, that sounds about right.” Murphy leaned against the bar. “His chick, Echo, she’s a fucking crazy ass bitch, was cheating on him. He caught her and she told him she was just using him for his family money.” He shrugged. “Literally just happened this morning.”

“That doesn’t excuse him treating Clarke like that.” Lincoln turned to glare at his friend.

Murphy held up his hands in surrender. “Nope, definitely not, but I know Bellamy and sometimes he has a bit of a temper.” He glanced at Clarke. “Kind of like someone else I know.”

“Shut up, Murphy.” Clarke took a drink, sighing into her beer. “I was so pissed off I stormed out without my stuff.”

“That’s fine. Murph and I will come with you to pick it up.” Lincoln pulled his card out, waving over the bartender again. “Let me just close out the tab.”

“Hey, why did I get volunteered for this?”

“Because I drove you, dumbass.” Lincoln drained the last of his beer. “Hurry up and drink up guys. Murphy still has to get Tyler from the babysitter’s.”

* * *

Clarke took a deep breath as she pulled back into the driveway of Jasper’s house, but a glance in her rearview mirror showed Lincoln and Murphy getting out of Lincoln’s truck. She could do this. All she had to do was go in and grab her bags. She was sure that she could convince Lincoln to let her stay with him for the break. She’d have to sleep on the couch since he only had a one-bedroom apartment, but it would be better than going home to her mom and listening to her complain about how she was once again throwing away her life.

When Lincoln opened her door she gave him a small smile. She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door, steeling herself as she went. She was Clarke Griffin, she could do this. The door opened just as she stepped onto the porch revealing Marcus.

“Clarke, I’m glad that you came back.” He gave her a sad smile. “I’m really sorry about earlier, but I was hoping that you could speak to me for a moment?” His eyes shot up as he took in Lincoln and Murphy. “Murphy?”

“Hey, Kane.” Murphy gave him a half-smile. “Turns out my partner, Lincoln, is Clarke’s brother. Small world.”

Marcus nodded, humming. “Small world indeed.” He turned back to Clarke. “Would you mind sitting down with me for a few minutes? Your brother and Murphy are welcome as well. I just would like to talk to you about Jasper for a minute.”

Clarke glanced over her shoulder where Murphy gave her a small shrug and Lincoln just tilted his head. He would back her up no matter her decision. Clarke nodded as she turned back to Marcus. “Sure, I can talk to you for a few minutes.”

Marcus led them back into the kitchen, offering them a drink before they sat down at the table. “From what I’ve been able to gather between what you’ve said and after talking to Monty, Jasper hasn’t told you that he’s bi-polar, has he?”

Clarke sat back in her chair, shell shocked. Bi-polar? Suddenly so many aspects of Jasper made so much more sense. She slowly shook her head. “No, he didn’t.” She paused for a second. “And you think that he might be having an episode?” The apparent shock on Marcus’s face caused Clarke to give him a small smile. “My mom is a psychiatrist. For a long time, I thought I would follow in her footsteps so I know a lot about mental illness.”

“Well, I guess in this case that is actually helpful. Jasper was in high spirits when you guys arrived, I originally assumed it was because he was introducing us to his new girlfriend….” Marcus trailed off. “I’m afraid that I might have missed a lot of signs.”

“I wish I would’ve known because looking back for the last two months or so he has been more energetic, less focused and he hasn’t necessarily been making the best decisions.” Clarke grimaced. “He recently was disciplined for streaking through the quad during lunchtime. He told me it was a dare and it’s not like it’s the first time he’s done something stupid like that so I let it go. I just wish I had known.”

Marcus’s reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “There was no way that you could’ve known, but now I know so we can get him the help he needs. No pressure, because I know it wasn’t an ideal day that you’ve had with us so far, but would you be willing to stay? At least for the night? The rest of the family will be by after work and we can do an intervention. It’s not the first one we’ve had to do and I’m sure it won't be the last, but I think Jasper would appreciate you being here.”

Clarke was torn. She would love to help Jasper out in any way possible. He was one of her dearest friends and she knew what could happen if bipolar wasn’t treated, but she also didn’t want to have to deal with being judged by Bellamy. A quick glance at Lincoln drew Marcus’s attention.

“Lincoln, we’d love to have you stay as well if that would make Clarke feel comfortable.”

Lincoln took Clarke’s other hand in his. “If you want to stay, I will stay. We’re off shift the next 2 days. If you want to be here for your friend, I’m happy to be here for you.”

Clarke gave Lincoln a sad smile before turning back to Marcus. “I would like to stay. Jasper means the world to me. I’ll do anything I can to help.”

“Thank you, Clarke. Lincoln.” Marcus stood up. “Make yourself at home. Lincoln there is a pull-out couch in the room that Clarke is staying in.”

“I need to pick up Tyler from the sitter. I’d like to come back with him if that’s alright, Kane.” Murphy was a single father to a seven-year-old after the death of his wife years before. Murphy had met Emori the summer after he had graduated while backpacking through Europe. They had eloped within two weeks and were expecting less than a year later. They had been so happy together once Tyler had been born, but Emori had developed breast cancer shortly after his birth that was caught too late. She died before Tyler had turned one. Life had never been easy for Murphy, but now he lived for his son.

“Of course it is, Murphy. You know I love that boy of yours.” 

“Do you mind, Linc? We can swing by your place and get some clothes too so that we can get out of these uniforms.” 

“No worries, man.” Lincoln turned to Clarke. “Do you want to stay or come with us?”

“I’ll stay, catch up with Monty.”

Lincoln nodded before he and Murphy headed out. Marcus gave Clarke a small smile. “When I saw him last Monty was in the living room playing Mario Kart with Bellamy. I’m pretty sure they’re still in there.”

Clarke stood slowly and headed towards the living room. She really didn’t want to deal with Bellamy, he’d been such an ass for no apparent reason. But she did want to catch up with Monty, seeing as they hadn’t seen one another in well over a year. She found the pair of them sprawled across the floor, trash-talking one another.

Monty noticed her first, pausing the game. “You came back!”

“Yeah, Marcus explained what is going on so I’m going to stay until the rest of your family gets here so that we can talk to him. My brother and his partner, Murphy, are coming back after they pick up Tyler.”

“Oh, you know Murphy?” Monty grinned. “He’s kind of an asshole, but him, Bellamy, and my boyfriend Miller have been friends since they were kids. So he’s kind of like another brother, I guess?”

Clarke nodded, her eyes shifting over to Bellamy who was watching her with a look on his face that she couldn’t read. “Can I help you with something?”

“Sorry, I was a dick earlier.” Bellamy turned back to Monty. “You ready to lose?”

Monty shrugged helplessly at Clarke, mouthing a sorry to her. “You want winner, Clarke?”

Clarke rolled her eyes. If Bellamy wanted to be a dick, two could play that game. “Sure. Why not?” She sat down on the couch as they resumed their game.

* * *

Bellamy opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Clarke. “Bellamy being an ass? I’ve decided that must just be his personality seeing as that’s all I’ve seen since I got here,”

“No one asked you, _princess_ ,” The last word was filled with venom. “This is a family matter.”

“Correct. You’re being an ass to your own sister about _my_ brother. Which makes it a family matter to me as well.” Clarke stepped up next to Octavia. “Lincoln is twice the man you could ever hope to be. Your sister would be lucky to have him if that’s what they choose because they’re consenting adults. But considering the fact that they’ve spoken for all of five minutes before you came in here with your overbearing asshole personality, they probably aren’t _quite_ there yet. Just saying.”

For the first time since walking into the room, Bellamy’s eyes slid away from his sister. “So I’m an asshole because I look out for my family? Making sure that no one is trying to take advantage of them? Fine call me an ass, because I’m always going to look out for them.”

Clarke’s eyes flashed. “The worst part is that you just assume things and just burst in with your unwanted opinions without even knowing all the facts. That doesn’t mean you care about your family, it means that you want to run their lives.”

“Why are you yelling?” Marcus shook his head as he stepped in from the kitchen. “Bellamy, kitchen. Now.”

“But Marcus-”

“No.” Marcus's voice was quiet but firm. “I understand that you’ve been having a bad day, but this is the second time you have yelled at Clarke. She and her brother are guests in this house and you’re going to stop treating them like they aren’t welcome here. Now, go.” 

At first Bellamy didn’t move, but eventually, his shoulders slumped as he shot both Lincoln and Clarke a glare before storming out of the room. Marcus sighed as he watched him go. “I know that it’s hard to believe, but he’s not usually like this. O, why don’t you go wake Jasper up? Dinner is going to be ready in about 30 minutes and Raven should be here any minute now. Clarke, Lincoln, I am sorry for Bellamy.”

The fight had started when Bellamy had entered the living room to find Lincoln and Octavia flirting. He had accused Octavia of being all over someone that neither of them knew. He’d said some not so nice things about Lincoln and it had gotten both Clarke and Octavia’s backs up. Clarke didn’t know what it was about Bellamy, he just seemed to always be pressing her buttons. She just had to remember that they were there for Jasper. It didn’t matter that his brother was the devil incarnate. Taking a deep breath she just kept reminding herself over and over again that she was here for Jasper.

“I really am sorry about Bell. He’s a little overprotective.” Octavia’s eyes flashed before she grinned up at Lincoln, fluttering her eyelashes. “I hope you won’t let that scare you off.” She sent him a wink before skipping from the room.

Clarke tried to hide her grin as she stared at her slack-jawed brother. “That one’s trouble Linc.” She didn’t even try to hide her grin anymore. “But we know how much you love trouble, so…”

Lincoln rolled his eyes. “I don’t like trouble.” He paused for a moment. “But I think I might like her kind of trouble.”

“Dude, wipe that lovesick look off your face. You’ve known her for less than an hour.” Clarke rolled her eyes.

“Sometimes it has nothing to do with the amount of time, little sister. When you know, you know.” He wrapped his arms around Clarke’s shoulders. “And next time, maybe not rush in to defend me. I could’ve taken anything he said.”

“That’s my brother, bulletproof.” Clarke grinned as they headed towards the kitchen and once there she turned to Marcus. “Is there anything that I can do to help?”

“Right and I’m sure you know _so_ much about cooking. I’m sure that they taught that at princess school.” Bellamy scoffed.

Clarke turned on her heel, eyes flashing, but before she could speak Murphy smacked him across the back of his head. “Didn’t we just talk about this? Stop being an asshole. That’s my job.” He shook his head before nodding towards the dining room. “You can help me set the table. You too, partner.”

Clarke and Lincoln grabbed the dishes and silverware that sat on the counter while Murphy grabbed the cups, making their way into the dining room.

“I would say that I don’t know what crawled up his ass, but I’m pretty sure that it was Lincoln.” Murphy paused. “Well more so Lincoln and Octavia.” He turned his attention back to the table where Tyler sat, holding his hand out as he looked at his dad. “Why are you holding out your hand, kid?”

“Just because we’re not at home where the swear jar is, that doesn’t mean you don’t have to pay up.” Tyler tapped his open palm. “So pay up.”

“I’d forgotten you were in here.” Murphy sighed. “Can’t we just pretend like you didn’t hear that?” 

Tyler patted his open palm again, eyes never leaving Murphy. 

Murphy rolled his eyes. “You are such a pain in my a-”

“Butt. Pain in the butt.” Lincoln was obviously trying to hold in his laughter as Murphy pulled out his wallet, slapping a dollar bill into his son’s hand. “So how much do you have so far, Ty?”

“I don’t know.” Tyler shrugged. “Maybe I’ll count it when I get home, but last week it was almost 200.”

Lincoln’s laughter filled the small room. “Haven’t you only been doing it for a month?”

“Yup.” Tyler popped his p before shoving the dollar into his pocket and turning back to his book. “I think I’m gonna make him take me to Disney.”

“What made you think that a swear jar was a good idea, Murphy?” Clarke started to lay the silverware out onto the table.

Murphy shook his head and turned his back on Clarke so Clarke turned her attention to Lincoln. “Do you know why?”

Murphy spun around, waving a hand full of cups in Lincoln’s direction. “Don’t you dare.”

Lincoln just laughed. “Without going into specifics Tyler got suspended for three days for repeating something that Murphy had said to one of his teachers.”

They all laughed together while they finished setting the table. “Hey, Ty.” Murphy rolled his eyes. “Ty?” When the kid still didn’t answer Murphy walked over, putting his hand over the page Tyler was reading. “Earth to Tyler?” When he looked up, a slightly annoyed look on his face, Murphy laughed. “Whatever kid, get annoyed. Go put up your book and go wash your hands. Go see if Kane needs help with anything.”

Tyler sighed dramatically. “If I must.”

“You definitely must.” Murphy shook his head as he sat, waving for the others to follow suit. “So look this intervention with Jasper has Bellamy on edge. He’s a dick, he always has been, but he’s loyal to his family to a fault. Try to cut him some slack.”

“Well maybe if he’d stop making assumptions about me and my family, I would.” Clarke crossed her arms. “Why do I have to be the adult here? He’s older than I am.”

“Look, I already gave him the same talk. Well, maybe not the same exact talk, but yeah. Just try.”

Clarke rolled her eyes before nodding. “Fine, I will try to be on my best behavior. But if he’s a dick, I cannot guarantee anything.”

“That’s all I ask for, Griffin.”

* * *

Bellamy was sitting in the living room, trying to calm himself down when the front door opened and closed. It was going to be either MIller or Raven. Everyone else was already home. It took less than five minutes for Miller to appear in the doorway from the kitchen, two beers in hand.

Miller handed him one before sitting across from him. “I hear you need me more than my boyfriend at the moment?”

“So Monty told you?” Bellamy took a swig from his beer. 

“Yeah, and I know you, man. I know that you’re beating yourself up over the whole Jasper thing, but there’s no way you could’ve known. And taking it out on some girl who found herself wrapped up in this mess? Not cool, not cool at all.”

Bellamy leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Since you’re my best friend, aren’t you supposed to be on my side?”

“Not when you’re being an ass for no reason.” Miller shook his head. “I don’t support stupid.”

“Gee thanks, Miller.”

The grin slipped off of MIller’s face as he set his beer on the table. “So I’m thinking that with everything that’s going on with Jasper, maybe now isn’t a good time to propose to Monty. Maybe I should wait a few months until he graduates and finds a job. What if he finds a job in like California? I don’t want to hold him back. And it just seems like really bad timing with the Jasper thing, kind of insensitive maybe?”

“Miller, how many times am I going to have to have this conversation with you?” Bellamy laughed. “Monty loves you. He isn’t going to want to be anywhere that you’re not. And don’t let this thing with Jasper keep you from doing you. Plus, I thought you weren’t planning to propose until Christmas Eve? With any luck, Jasper will be out by then. We have a plan, man. And you’re sticking to it.”

Miller sighed but nodded. “I just love him so much and I’m so afraid that I won’t be enough for him. We’ve been dating practically the entire time he’s been in college. What if I’m holding him back from something better?”

“You’re more than enough for him. He loves you and only wants you.” Bellamy shook his head. “He’s had a crush on you since like his freshman year of _high school_. You need to stop freaking out.”

“Miller’s here!!!” Jasper came bounding into the room, throwing himself at Miller as he wrapped his arms around him.

“Hey, Jas.” Miller’s eyes were wide as they met Bellamy’s. Bellamy just nodded his understanding. Maybe if he’d been at home, they could’ve caught onto Jasper’s behavior, because there had been red flags since he’s walked into the house.

“Come on, Jas. Raven should be here soon and then we can eat.” Bellamy peeled his brother off of Miller and led him towards the dining room where everyone except Marcus was sitting around talking.

“Monty! Hey Monty!” Jasper grinned from ear to ear as he practically yelled in Monty’s ear. “I found your man!”

Monty patted Jasper’s shoulder. “Thanks, but maybe take the volume down a few decibels.” He stood up and gave Miller a quick kiss before introducing him to Lincoln and Clarke.

Just as Marcus was setting the food on the table the front door flew open and Raven came scrambling in with Lillian on her hip. “I’m so sorry I’m late. I got stuck on a project at work and didn’t realize how late it was.” She dropped her bag onto the floor before handing her daughter over to Octavia who quickly began cooing at the toddler. Raven’s attention quickly went to Lincoln and Clarke. “I don’t know you so I’m going to assume that you’re Clarke and Lincoln. I’m Raven. I’m not usually this big of a disaster, but it’s been a rough week.”

“Ray, it’s okay.” Marcus wrapped her in a quick hug before plucking his granddaughter from Octavia’s hands. “Where’s Finn? Is he not coming tonight?”

Raven froze for a moment, but no one noticed except for Murphy who gave her a puzzled look before she continued on. “He’s stuck at work. It looks like there may be some embezzlement with one of their major clients so he’s stuck combing through their books.”

“Surprise, surprise.” Octavia rolled her eyes as she plopped down in a chair beside Lincoln. “Finn can’t be bothered by a family event. _Again_.”

The confusion must’ve been written all over Lincoln and Clarke’s faces because Monty spoke up. “Finn often gets stuck at work when we’re doing something.”

“It’s almost like he thinks he’s too good for us or something,” Bellamy growled out.

“Alright, okay.” Marcus set Lillian into her high chair. “Finn’s busy, it’s fine. Why doesn’t everyone sit down?”

Once everyone was settled down into a seat, Marcus sat down as well. “Before we eat, there is something that we need to talk about.” He looks across the table to where Jasper sat next to Clarke. “When did you stop taking your medication?”

“What?” Jasper’s eyes shot up, wide and confused. “I didn’t stop taking them! Why would you even say that?”

“Jas-” Monty started to speak.

“No!” Jasper jumped up from his seat, knocking the chair over. “Why are you trying to embarrass me in front of my girlfriend? That is so not cool. Not take my meds? I wouldn’t do that. YOU’RE EMBARRASSING ME!!!” The last few words were yelled at Marcus.

“Jasper, I’m not your girlfriend. We’re not dating and we never have been.” Clarke’s words were gentle as she slowly reached out to touch his arm.

“No!” Jasper jerked away from Clarke’s touch. “Why are you acting this way, Clarke? Of course, you’re my girlfriend! I love you! What did they say to you? Did they tell you to break up with me? I bet _Marcus_ told you he’d pay you to break up with me! Why is this entire family against me? Don’t you want me to be happy?”

“Jasper, we want nothing more than for you to be happy.” Bellamy stood up slowly before beginning to inch himself towards Jasper.

“Then stop with the lies!” Jasper’s hands slid into his hair, pulling it as he slumped over slightly.

“Jasper, I checked and you haven’t refilled your prescription for the last two months.” Marcus stood and began to make his way towards Jasper.

“No! They’re lying. Of course, I’ve gotten a refill! This is such bullshit! Why are you all trying to make me think that I’m going crazy again? I’m NOT crazy!”

“Okay, Jasper.” Raven’s voice was soft. “If you’ve been getting refills, then why don’t you go get the pills for us? It’ll clear up everything.”

“I shouldn’t have to prove myself to my family! You’re supposed to be here for me! Believe in me! Not accuse me of lying to you. Why would I lie?” 

“Because you’re sick, Jas. That’s why you’re supposed to be taking your meds. Look at me, please.” Octavia was pleading with Jasper, not just with her words, but with her eyes. “You know what it’s like when we don’t take our meds. We’ve been through this before. Both of us. Just let us help you.”

“You’re not acting like yourself.” Monty’s eyes were filled with tears.

“Of course I’m acting like myself! Who else would I be acting like?” Jasper scoffed as he dropped to his knees beside Clarke, taking her face in his hands. “Tell them, Clarke. Tell them how much you love me and how happy we are together.”

“Jasper-” Clarke’s voice broke as she stared into his eyes and saw that he really believed it. Tears formed in her eyes, falling unbidden down her cheeks. She didn’t know how she could make him see. “We’re not-” Clarke tried to pry his hands from her face while trying to find the words that could help him.

“No!” Jasper’s hands dug into her face, drawing a gasp from her at the pain. Jasper’s eyes were wild as he leaned forward and kissed her.

Clarke jerked, trying to break free, but he was too strong. She struggled as Jasper tightened his grasp, trying to slide his tongue into her mouth.

“Jasper!”

“Stop!”

“You can’t-”

“Bellamy grab him!”

Everyone at the table was now on their feet and Murphy was glad that he’d told Tyler to eat his dinner at the kitchen table. He’d given him his phone and earbuds, knowing that his son liked to listen to rock at a very loud level which was the only reason he was missing the scene that was unfolding in front of him. One glance in Raven’s direction showed him that she was torn between her brother and her daughter who had begun to cry at the tension in the air. 

Murphy squeezed Raven’s arm. “I’ve got her. You stay.” At Raven’s grateful smile he scooped up Lillian and Raven’s bag, heading towards the downstairs guestroom. It was far enough away that he should be able to get Lillian to calm down, but close enough that he could still hear if they needed him.

Meanwhile, Bellamy swooped into action, grabbing Jasper’s arms and pulling him from Clarke. “Jasper! You’ve got to stop!”

When Jasper went limp in his arms, Bellamy wasn’t able to keep his grip. Jasper slid to the floor before swinging around and punching Bellamy in the stomach. Bellamy doubled over, leaving his face open for another swing. This one sent Bellamy into the wall and Marcus moved up to try and subdue Jasper.

“Jas, calm down. We can talk about this. There’s no need-” Marcus’s words are cut off by Jasper swinging again and getting him across his jaw. It pushed him backward, giving Jasper enough room to slip between himself and Bellamy.

“Fuck this shit!” Jasper stormed into the kitchen and then they all heard the door slam shut. Before anyone could react there was a sound of a car starting up and tires squealing out of the driveway.

Both Bellamy and Marcus started to rush to the kitchen, to find a way to follow Jasper, when a knock on the front door diverted their attention. Raven was the closest so she ran over, throwing the door open. “Maya?” Maya was their neighbor, she had been in Octavia’s class. She and Octavia had been the best of friends when they were young, but once they hit middle school they began to run in different crowds.

“What’s going on Raven?” Maya’s face pale, her breath coming quickly. “Jasper almost ran me over!”

“Shit!” Bellamy punched the wall. “We’ve got to find him.”

Marcus took a deep breath. “Okay, we’ll split up into groups and go look for him. Somebody will need to stay here with the kids.”

“I will.” Murphy appeared in the hallway, Lillian laying on his shoulder. “I’ve got Lilly calm for now and we all know my kid is a hellion.”

“Thank you, Murphy.” Marcus gave him a small smile. “Whose car did Jasper take?”

“I’m pretty sure it was mine.” Clarke’s head popped out of the dining room. “My keys were in my jacket pocket on the back of the chair. They’re not there anymore, I think he grabbed them when he was kissing me.”

Bellamy quickly stuck his head outside. “Yeah, her car is gone,” he confirmed.

“Okay so Raven, why don’t you and Octavia go together,” Marcus started as they all reconvened around the table.

“And Lincoln.” Octavia beamed up at him. “Your truck would be good if we need to go into the woods.”

LIncoln nodded. “Sure.”

“Good.” Marcus paused. “Groups of three are probably best. Monty and Miller, you can come with me.” He turned to Maya. “Did you want to help out as well?”

“He’s having another episode, isn’t he?” Her voice was quiet as she nodded her head to herself. “Yeah, I want to help find him.”

“Bell, that would leave you, Maya, and Clarke. Do you think the two of you can work together and not kill one another?” Marcus looked between the two.

“Of course, we just need to find Jasper.” The exasperation was apparent in Bellamy’s voice.

Clarke just nodded. Whatever she had to do to find her friend. She could deal with not calling Bellamy on his bullshit until they found Jasper. As her eyes slid over Bellamy though she noticed his slumped shoulders and his lowered head. Or maybe he would be too busy being worried about his brother to bother her. Either way, it didn’t matter. They had to find Jasper.

* * *

It was nearing midnight and Clarke was growing increasingly more worried. She, Bellamy, and Maya barely spoke and when they did it was to point out something or someone that might be Jasper. It had been four hours and the groups had kept in contact, but no one had seen any sign of Jasper or even Clarke’s car.

Maya looked deep in thought before turning to Bellamy. “Did anyone check the old bridge between Milford and New Haven?”

Bellamy glanced over at Maya. “I don’t think so. Why? Do you think that Jasper might have headed to New Haven?”

Maya shook her head, shyly. “When he was home last summer he took me there. Told me it was his favorite place to think. I didn’t think about it until now, I’m so sorry.”

Bellamy squeezed her hand lightly before making a quick u-turn. “It’s okay, Maya. You thought of it now. We’ll go check. Clarke, will you call Marcus and let him know where we’re headed?”

Clarke was already dialing before he even finished his sentence. She quickly filled Marcus in before hanging up here phone. She really hoped that they didn’t have to go into New Haven. It was where she grew up and where her mom still lived. At this time of night, she knew that it was unlikely that she would run into her mom, but it was a chance she wasn’t really willing to take.

Less than ten minutes later they were pulling up the bridge and Clarke leaned forward, pointing. “There’s my car!”

“Let’s just hope that Jasper is still here.” Bellamy’s tiredness bled through his voice as he pulled up beside the car and they all jumped out quickly, turning on the flashlights on their cellphones.

“Bellamy!” Maya's voice was high with fear as she pointed to the bridge.

Jasper was walking along the railing like it was a tightrope, a bottle in his hand. They all watched as he stumbled, breath held as they watched him catch himself before taking a long drink from the bottle. It wasn’t a big bridge, but it was at least 60ft to the water below and there were rocks that lined the area. If he fell, there was a good chance that he would be injured. The three of them took off towards the bridge.

They were about 20ft from Jasper when he noticed them. “Clarkie! Light of my life! You found me!”

“Hey, Jas, why don’t you get down from there? You don’t want to fall.” Bellamy slowly inched his way towards Jasper.

Jasper looked over the side, wobbling a bit as he did so. “Yeah, that would probably hurt.” He dropped his bottle which bounced off of a rock and shattered. “Oops!” There was a grin on his face as he glanced at Clarke. “Do you want me to get down Clarke?”

“Of course I do Jasper!” Clarke’s voice was higher than usual as fear coursed through her body.

“Well then, of course, I’ll get down.” He paused. “As soon as you tell my brother how much you love me and that we’re going to get married.”

“I can’t do that Jasper.”

“Ya know, I’ve always wanted to jump off of a bridge. Might be fun. Drunk is the best time to do stupid things, don’t you agree, Bell?”

“No, Jasper! Please don’t jump!” Bellamy started to jump forward but stopped when Jasper held up his hands. 

“Don’t come any closer or I will jump.” His attention turned back to Clarke. “I will jump if you don’t tell my brother how he was wrong and that you love me. We’re going to get married. We are. I already know how I'm going to propose and everything.”

Clarke stood there in shock. He couldn’t put this on her. She didn’t want to lie to him, but she didn’t want him to jump. Was it okay to lie if it would save his life?

“I love you, Jasper.” Maya’s voice was quiet but carried as she stared up at him. “I’ve been in love with you since I was 10. You just never noticed me.” She sniffled, tears falling down her cheeks. “It’s part of the reason why Octavia and I stopped hanging out. She thought I was using her to get to you.” She shook her head. “Please come down, Jasper. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you.”

Jasper just stared at her, eyes wide. He really had never noticed how Maya had felt about him, but as he thought back he could see it. The sweet, quiet, beautiful girl from next door was in love with him. And that gave him hope. 

Suddenly Jasper lost his footing, wobbling on the railing. He didn’t want to die. Not when Maya had just admitted that she loved him. He may not be in love with her, but he could be. She could be his everything. This couldn’t be the way it ended, could it? Just when he thought that he was a goner, that he was going to die, two arms wrapped around his legs and pulled him off of the railing to the pavement. 

Bellamy had saved him, just like he had since Marcus had brought him home. Tears filled his eyes as he clung to Bellamy. What was he doing? Why had it taken almost falling to his death to realize that the words that his family had spoken to him were true? He was having an episode because he hadn’t been taking his meds. He didn’t know what was true and what was his imagination.

“It’s okay, Jas. Let’s get you home.” Bellamy helped him to his feet, leading him towards the cars. 

“Maya?” Jasper looked around desperately.

“I”m right here Jasper.” And suddenly she was right in front of him.

Jasper reached out, taking her hand in his. “Thank you.”

After that everything was a blur. Bellamy, Maya, and Jasper got into Bellamy’s car while Clarke drove her own. She didn’t remember how she got there, but suddenly she was at the Kane household and she couldn’t get her hands to stop shaking. She knew that she was in shock and she was glad when Lincoln saw her and quickly sat her down, wrapping a blanket around her. There was a lot of talking that she didn’t pay attention to and she knew that she lost time because the next thing she knew it was Monty kneeling in front of her.

“Hey, Clarke. The family is going to stay out here. We’re going to have a big sleepover so that we can be with Jasper. Murphy is going to check on the kids, but then he’s coming back down. I think you should stay in the guest room and get some rest. Do you want Lincoln to come with you?”

Clarke shook her head as she looked to Lincoln who had his arm around Octavia’s shoulders as they talked. “No, I’ll be good on my own. I’m glad that we found him, Monty.”

“You and me both.” He looked up as Miller called his name, giving him a smile.

“I didn’t get a chance to tell you before, but you two are super cute.” Clarke smile was small, but it was there and she felt like that was an improvement.

Monty’s face flushed as he ducked his head. “Thanks.” He glanced back at Miller for a moment. “I really love him.”

“That’s amazing. I’m glad that you’ve found someone who obviously loves you as much as you love them.” Clarke stood up, shaking off the pain from sitting in one position for far too long. “I’m going to go ahead and go to bed. Tell everyone I said goodnight?” At Monty’s nod, she headed towards the guest room.

* * *

“Lilly really loves Ty, ya know?” Raven’s voice was quiet, but still startled Murphy who was standing in the doorway to Raven’s old room. Lilly was cuddled up against Tyler, who must have been rubbing Lilly’s back when he fell asleep as it was at an awkward angle on her back.

“He loves her too. She’s the closest thing he has to a sibling.” Murphy smiled as he pulled the door closed. “Had to come and check on her again before bed?”

Raven nodded. “It’s a mom thing.”

“No, it’s a parent thing.” Murphy squeezed her hand.

Raven’s face fell and her eyes filled with tears before she quickly turned away from him. “We should probably get back downstairs.”

Murphy stopped her with a hand on her arm, turning her slowly to face him. “What’s going on Raven?”

“Nothing” Raven shook her head, refusing to look him in the eye.

“It’s Finn, isn’t it? Something’s going on. I knew something was wrong with the way you paused when they asked you where Finn was. What’s going on?”

Raven threw herself into his arms and her body was wracked with sobs. Murphy held her close, not saying a word until she was quietl in his arms. “Raven?”

Raven pulled back, biting her lip. She slid down the wall, patting the floor next to her. Once he sat, she turned to face him. “Finn and I are getting a divorce.”

“A divorce? But why? You haven’t told your family, have you?”

Raven shook her head. “I’m so embarrassed, Murphy. Thanksgiving last year? The reason that Finn wasn’t here is that I found out he was cheating on me. He swore it was a mistake and that it would never happen again. We decided to go to marriage counseling and I thought it was better, I thought that we were fixing what was broken. Six months ago I came home early from a work conference and walked in on him and his secretary in our bed, with our daughter asleep in the next room. I kicked him out that night and filed for a divorce a few days later. He’s fighting me on anything and everything. He says that I’m his and he won’t let me go. But do you know the one thing he isn’t fighting me on? Lilly. She hasn’t seen her dad in four months, Murphy, and he doesn’t even care.”

“That’s because he’s a piece of shit, Raven. I never liked that prick.”

Raven laughed through her tears. “And you never had a problem letting me _or_ him know that.”

“So if he’s fighting you on everything, I’m guessing mediation didn’t work. Do you have a court date yet?”

Raven nodded. “Yeah, it’s the first week of next year.”

“Jesus, Raven! You need to tell your family. You shouldn’t have to be going through this alone.ANnd there is no reason for you to be embarrassed. You’re not the one who cheated. That jackass that you married should be the one that is embarrassed. Tell them, let them help you.”

“I know you’re right, but they all told me that we shouldn’t get married. I’ve never even dated anyone besides Finn. I’ve known him my whole life and we started dating in middle school. He was all that I’ve ever known.” Raven swiped at her cheeks.

Murphy leaned his forehead against hers. “There’s someone out there that will treat you like the queen that you are and you shouldn’t settle for anything less.”

“Thank you, Murphy,” Raven pulled him into a hug. “I’ll tell them after everything with Jasper is done. They need to be worrying about me right now.”

“That’s fine, I’ll worry enough for all of them until you can tell them.”

* * *

Clarke was lying in the bed, staring at the walls when there was a quiet knock on the door. “Clarke?”

Bellamy? Why the hell was he knocking at her door? Should she just pretend to be asleep? She didn’t know if she had enough energy for another fight. But for some reason she found herself calling out, “Yeah?”

The door opened a crack to reveal Bellamy’s face. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.” Clarke sat up in the bed, watching as Bellamy slipped inside her room before closing the door behind him. “What’s up?”

“Look, I just wanted to apologize again for being an asshole all day and for the crappy apology I gave you earlier. It wasn’t even angry with you, but you were an easy target.”

Clarke nodded. “I understand, I have been known to have quite the temper and I know what it’s like to lash out at people. I’m sorry for making it worse instead of just walking away.” She paused. “I’m just glad that we were able to find Jasper.”

“Yeah, and thank God he didn’t jump when you froze up.”

“Excuse me?” Clarke’s eyes widened. She couldn’t believe what she hearing.

“I don’t know why you couldn’t have just told him what he wanted to hear. Then we could’ve gotten him back here and sorted it out.”

“Oh my God!” Clarke was pissed. She was trying her best to whisper but knew that she was being kind of loud. “I can’t believe that you’re in here picking another fight. Are you blaming _me_ for Jasper almost falling?”

“Well, he did tell you that he would jump if you didn’t tell him that you loved him and you didn’t say a word.” Bellamy’s jaw was set and he was looking at everything except her.

Clarke threw back the covers, jumping out of the bed and jammed her finger into his chest. “You do not get to blame this on me.” She pushed him until his back hit the door. “Once again, I’ve done nothing wrong and you’re in here being an ass and blaming me for everything.”

For a split second, Clarke watched as Bellamy’s eyes slid to her lips and she realized just how close they were standing. She was also very aware of the fact that all she was wearing was a t-shirt that barely covered her ass. Her finger was still jabbing at his chest and her body was pressed against his. And what a body it was. Clarke felt her own eyes slip down to Bellamy’s lips, watching as his tongue slipped out and wet them. Her eyes widened as they shot back up to meet his and the look on his face was different. The anger was gone and in its place was desire. 

Clarke couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t move. All she knew was that she needed to know what Bellamy’s lips tasted like. She surged forward, her hands flattening against his chest as she pushed up and their lips collided. She moaned when his tongue slid across her lips which she parted for him. Kissing Bellamy was nothing like kissing the guys (and girls) at college. He took his time, made her feel wanted. 

As her hands slid into his hair Bellamy spun them around until her back was against the wall. His lips were on her neck, hands sliding down her body to grip the edge of the shirt she wore. “I want to taste you.” His words were barely a whisper against her ear. “Please, can I taste you?”

“Fuck….yes…” Clarke moaned as her head fell back against the door. Her shirt was up and over her head in seconds. She stood there in just her lacy panties as Bellamy looked her up and down, his eyes blown.

“You are so fucking gorgeous.” Bellamy sighed as his lips met hers again, hands sliding to cup her breasts. His hands were big, but she still managed to spill over. He growled before taking one nipple into his mouth, biting lightly before kissing and licking away the small pain. 

Clarke’s hands were woven into his hair as he rolled her other nipple in his fingers. Her hips canted forward, searching for some friction as Bellamy assaulted her chest. She felt like she was going to explode.

Bellamy took pity on her, sliding his thigh in between her legs, letting her rut against him while he devoured her. He could feel himself growing harder and harder with every moan, mewl, and broken whisper. He couldn’t take it anymore so he slid down her body, fingers sliding into the side of her panties as his eyes met hers, waiting for permission.

“God, yes, please.”

Bellamy chuckled as he slid her panties down her legs, helping her to step out of them. “You don’t have to call me God, Bellamy is just fine.”

Clarke swatted at his head, but whatever she was going to say flew from her mind with the first swipe of his tongue. Her head fell back against the door again, his name a quiet prayer on her lips. He went down on her like he'd kissed her, taking his time. 

A swipe of his tongue across her slit caused them both to moan. “You taste so fucking good, Clarke.” Bellamy gave her small licks before finding her clit and sucking it into his mouth, tracing her slit with his finger. She was so fucking wet, so ready for him. He palmed himself through his pants as he slid a finger into her, slowly pumping it in and out. His eyes slid up her body and she was even more beautiful like this. 

A second finger slid into Clarke and she couldn’t help, but cant her hips as Bellamy licked at her clit. She was already so close. She cried out when his fingers slid out of her, feeling empty as her eyes slid down to meet his. He gave her a smirk that she so badly wanted to slap off of his face, but then he delved his tongue into her as his thumb found her clit. She had no other thoughts as her orgasm built and built before crashing over her. She felt her legs give out and it was only Bellamy that kept her standing against the door, with a strong arm across her belly as he continued to lap at her through her orgasm.

“Holy shit… that was…” Clarke couldn’t even begin to string together enough words to form a coherent sentence.

Suddenly Bellamy was standing against, his lips on hers and she could taste herself on him. She moaned against his mouth as he jerked his jean-clad hips against her and she could feel his erection. “I need you to fuck me.”

Bellamy pulled back just long enough to give her another smirk before he was shedding his shirt and jeans. When his boxers hit the floor, Clarke could only stare. He was beyond gorgeous. If it wasn’t for the fact that he was a complete asshole, Clarke could see herself having a crush on him. 

Clarke reached between them, taking Bellamy into her hand. She stroked him slowly, anticipation growing in her. She couldn't wait for him to be inside of her. “Fuck me.”

Bellamy nodded his head before sliding his hands under her ass and lifting her. Clarke’s legs wrapped around his waist as Bellamy leaned her fully against the door. His hand slid between them and then he was inside her. It took a minute for Clarke to get accustomed to his size. It had been a while since she’d had sex with a man, but Bellamy held still until he felt her body relax.

As Bellamy looked down at Clarke, he couldn’t help, but think how much better they’d get along if this was how she always was. That’s when it hit Bellamy that he was having sex with Clarke, the girl that he had known for less than a day. The girl that he’d fought with since the first minute he’d met her. Fuck. What the hell was he doing?

But those thoughts flew from his mind when Clarke rocked her hips against him, a whine falling from her lips. Bellamy pulled out before thrusting back into her none too gently. Bellamy grinned against her throat at the noises that fell from her. ‘You like it rough, princess?”

Clarke moaned as Bellamy bit down on her shoulder before soothing it with his tongue. “Yes, please. Harder.”

Clarke’s nails dug into Bellamy’s back as he slammed into her harder and faster, knowing that the doorknob had to be digging into her back, but she didn’t seem to care. He slapped a hand across her mouth as her cries grew louder. He didn’t need his family coming in to investigate the noises and find the two of them fucking against the door.

Bellamy adjusted his stance before thrusting into her again and he knew he’d found the right spot when she began to mewl and tighten around his cock. Two more hard, fast thrusts and Clarke was spilling over the edge. His thrusts were more shallow as he allowed her to milk his cock, drawing out his own orgasm as he slumped against her. 

For a moment the only sound was the pair’s ragged breath before Bellamy felt Clarke struggle against him. “Let me down.”

Bellamy carefully slid out of her and lowered her to the ground. Clarke refused to meet his eye and she bent down and retrieved her shirt from the floor. He watched as his cum slid down her thighs and he realized what they’d done. “Shit, we didn’t use a condom.”

Clarke scoffed. “It’s fine. I have an IUD and I haven’t had sex since my last test. I’m clean.”

“Me too.” Bellamy sighed as he watched Clarke throw her shirt on, still turned away from him as she headed for the bathroom.

“This never happened.” Clarke finally turned to look at him and for a moment Bellamy could’ve sworn he saw tears along with the hatred in her eyes, but she quickly looked away.

“No shit, princess. Like I want anyone to know about this.” The bathroom door slammed before he could finish his sentence and he had to wonder if he’d gone too far with that last statement. He dressed quickly, taking a deep breath before heading out to his family. He didn’t know why that had just happened, but it didn’t matter. Jasper was what mattered.

Clarke waited until she heard the door close before she slid down to the floor of the bathroom and let the tears begin to fall. She just had to make it through the morning, get Jasper to the hospital and then she would never have to see Bellamy Blake again.

* * *

  
The next morning found the whole Kane family plus Murphy, Clarke, and Lincoln trying to figure out who would be going with Jasper to the hospital.

“I don’t need the whole family there.” Jasper sat at the kitchen counter, face in his hands. “It isn’t that big of a deal.”

“Jas, we all just want to be there for you.” Octavia leaned against his back with a sigh. 

“Why don’t I just take him and the rest of you can stay here?” Marcus spoke up, shaking his head when every person in the room began to speak.

“Better yet, why don’t we ask Jasper who he would like to go with him?” Bellamy was leaning against the wall, as far from Clarke as he could get.

Jasper perked up at that. “Yeah, let’s do that. Dad, of course, I want you to take me.” He sent Marcus a quick smile. “Monty and Bellamy too.” His eyes searched over everyone until they landed on Clarke who was standing next to Lincoln. “Clarke, would you mind coming too?”

Clarke’s eyes shot up to meet his and how could she tell him no? She gave him a sad smile, nodding her head before returning to stare at her shoes.

“Great, let’s go going. We’ll be back in a bit guys.” Marcus hugged Octavia as she slid down off of the counter. “Why don’t you guys go watch a movie or something. We’ll pick up some food on the way back?”

It was another hour before everyone had said their goodbyes and they were on the way. Clarke sat in the middle seat between Monty and Jasper, making sure to never look at Bellamy. They hadn’t spoken a word since he’d left her room last night. “So where are we taking Jasper? I never thought to ask.”

“The Yale-New Haven Psychiatric hospital. That’s where my doctor is.” Jasper was leaning against Clarke’s shoulder so he felt her tense up. “Wait, aren’t you from New Haven?”

“You’re from New Haven?” Bellamy’s voice was gruff and Clarke couldn’t help looking up when he spoke. 

Clarke quickly looked away, turning her attention to the passing scenery out the window. “Yup.”

The car was quiet for a moment as they waited for her to say something else, but Clarke remained silent as she tried to calm herself down. It was the weekend, there was very little chance of running into her mother at the hospital. Unless she had a patient. Clarke could feel the question on the edge of her tongue, but surely Jasper would’ve told her if her mom was his doctor, right? He’d recognize that they shared a last name and he knew where she was from. There was no way that her mom was his doctor. 

The drive didn’t take long, less than 20 minutes and they were standing outside of the hospital. It had been years since Clarke had been here. Clarke closed her eyes, taking deep breaths through her nose. Four years ago during her senior year of high school, Abby had admitted Clarke to the very hospital she worked at following her father’s death. It had been a rough time for Clarke and following a suicide attempt, where Clarke had taken a half of a bottle of her mom’s sleeping pills, they had agreed that she needed more help than Abby could give her at home. Clarke still knew that she hadn’t wanted to die, she’d just wanted to sleep so she could forget the pain. Unfortunately, the number of pills she had taken would’ve killed her if Abby hadn't found her when she did.

Clarke steeled herself as she shook off the memories. This wasn’t about her and her past, it was about Jasper. Clarke slipped her arm through Jasper’s, giving a small smile. “C’ mon, Jas. Let’s get you some help, huh?”

The five of them walked into the building, Marcus going to the front desk while the others took a seat. Jasper’s leg was bouncing and Clarke could tell how anxious he was. She slipped her hand into his and squeezed. The bouncing stopped as he glanced down at her, gratefulness written all over his face.”

“Marcus?” A female voice called as a door swung shut and Clarke tensed up. “Where is Jasper?"

When Jasper stood up and headed towards Marcus and the woman, Clarke turned away and tried to curl up on herself. What were the chances? Maybe if she made herself small enough, she wouldn’t be noticed.

“Clarke?” Her mother’s voice was confused.

Well, that obviously hadn’t worked out. Clarke took a deep breath before opening her eyes and seeing her mom looking between the Kanes and herself. “Mother.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Wait, wait! Dr. Griffin? Shit, why didn’t I realize?” Jasper laughed as he looked between Abby and Clarke, but he stopped when he met Clarke’s eyes. He mouthed a quick “I’m sorry.” 

“Clarke and Jasper seem to know one another from college.” Marcus’s voice was quiet. 

Abby seemed to shake herself before looking back at Jasper. “Let’s go get you set up, okay, Jasper?” She glanced back at Clarke. “May I speak with you before you leave?”

Clarke gave a jerky nod as she watched Marcus and Jasper follow her mom through a door. “I’m going to get some air. Will you send my mom outside when she gets back?” Clarke didn’t wait for an answer before rushing outside.

Ten minutes later Abby found her out front on a bench, arms around herself as she tried to stay warm. “So were you planning to tell me that you were in town for the holiday?”

“No.” Clarke continued to look across the parking lot, refusing to look at her mom.

“I guess that you’re staying with Lincoln?” The disapproval was clear in Abby’s voice.

“No, mom. I wasn’t lying when I said I was going to spend Christmas with a friend. Jasper is that friend.”

“Jasper is a troubled young man, you shouldn’t really be spending your time with him. It would be better spent on your schooling.” She laughed. “Even though you’re wasting _that_ by getting a degree in art.”

“Jasper is one of the best people I know!” Clarke jumped off of the bench and stalked towards Abby. “I will _not_ stop spending time with him!”

Abby shook her head. “I don’t know why you always feel the need to pick a fight with me. What would your father think of you? Wasting your time on _art_ and becoming a paramedic like that deadbeat half brother of yours.”

“Dad would be proud of me! Just like he was proud of Lincoln. Art is what I’m passionate about and I can still save lives as a paramedic while I do what I love. I don’t know why you can’t understand that. Dad always wanted me to follow my heart.” Clarke shook her head as the tears began to fall. “I’m not going to do this with you anymore. I won’t let you bash Lincoln and try and throw dad at me to get me to change my mind about _my_ life. Dad loved Lincoln and he thought that you loved him too. I don’t know how you fooled him, but I’m done. Until you can accept me for who I am, I won’t have anything to do with you. I won’t answer your calls. Hell, I might change my phone number and maybe I’ll move. Make it so you can’t find me, because until you can accept me - you’re dead to me.” 

Without waiting for a response from her mom she shoved past her and headed for the door. She stopped short when she saw Bellamy standing there, mouth agape. Just what she fucking needed. She so couldn’t deal with Bellamy after having another fight with her mom. She just couldn’t. 

“Clarke!” Her mother’s anger was apparent as she yelled.

Clarke watched as Bellamy glanced over her shoulder, assumingly at Abby, before stepping forward and grasping her arm. “Come on, Clarke. Why don’t we wait for Marcus and Monty in the car?” Bellamy led her quickly through the parking lot and started the car before climbing into the backseat with her.

“What are you doing, Bellamy?” Clarke tried to fight the tears, but they were already spilling down her cheeks. 

Bellamy took her into his arms and held her as she fell apart. When her sobs quieted he sighed against her hair. “I’m sorry, Clarke.”

“What for this time?” Clarke laughed, tearfully.

“Your mom...I just can’t believe that she said those things.”

Clarke laughed against. “That’s my mom for you.” She shook her head as she tried to pull away from Bellamy, but he held her to him. “She’s a great doctor, but as a mom? It’s her way or the highway. And I just can’t deal with it anymore.”

Bellamy pulled away slightly so that he could meet her eyes. “Look, I know that we haven’t been getting on overly well, but I think you should stay for the holiday.” He squeezed her side when she opened her mouth to speak. “We were already planning on you being there and this way you’re there when Jasper gets out. I promise I’ll try not to be such an ass.”

Clarke gave him a small smile. “You’re not too bad when you’re not being such an ass.” 

Bellamy reached up, pushing Clarke’s hair from her face. He felt her sharp intake of breath when he stroked her cheek. He knew that he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help it. He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers for just a moment before pulling back to see her reaction.

Clarke’s eyes were wide as she looked back at him, but then she was leaning forward and their lips were crashing together again. Their kisses quickly grew desperate as Clarke climbed into his lap, hips grinding against his. His hands slipped off her jacket and then his own before sliding his hands under her sweater to cup her breasts.

“You have such great tits, Clarke.”

Clarke moaned as her hips began to move faster against his own. When his phone beeped she stilled against him. “Shit, we can’t-”

“Shhh…” Bellamy kissed her slowly before grabbing his phone. “Marcus said it’s going to be a little bit. He and Monty want to make sure that Jasper is comfortable before we leave. He says probably another 15 minutes.”

Clarke stared at him for a moment before her hands slid down his chest to his belt buckle. “Well, then I guess we better make this fast.”

Bellamy’s eyes widened for just a moment before he grinned, pulling Clarke in for another kiss. Once Clarke had his pants undone he helped her slide them down enough so that she could release him. He bit back a groan when she took his cock in her hands and made a move to take him in her mouth. “Shit. Fuck. No.” Bellamy batted her away before making quick work of her pants. “Help me get these off. I want to be inside of you.”

They quickly shoved Clarke’s pants down before he lifted her back onto his lap. It was hard with both of their pants trapped on their legs, but they didn’t care. Bellamy slid a finger into Clarke, finding her dripping. “Well, shit. I guess you’re ready.” 

“Yes, I am.” Clarke took his cock into her hand and lined it up before sliding down onto him. They swallowed each other’s moans as she fully seated herself on him. 

As Clarke began to move, Bellamy pushed up her sweater and laid kisses along the cleavage above her bra. “I wish I could see these moving while you ride me.”

Clarke laughed. “You can.” She pulled her sweater over her head and unhooked her bra before Bellamy even knew what she was doing.

Bellamy glanced around them, eyes wide. “Jesus, Clarke. We’re in a parking lot. Anyone could see.”

“So? Let them.” Clarke pushed down on his shoulders as she lifted herself almost fully off of his cock before slamming back down on him. “You feel so good.”

“Fuck.” Bellamy leaned back into the seat, eyes watching as Clarke’s tits bounced with her movements. “Keep doing that. You’re so fucking hot.”

Clarke could already feel that she was close. Anyone could look in the window and see her riding Bellamy, her tits on display for anyone to see. It made this so much hotter. On her next downward motion, she jerked her hips forward, a moan falling from her lips at the friction. Bellamy’s quickly reached between them, rubbing circles on her clit as she became more frantic.

“That’s it, Clarke. Get yourself off on my cock. Take what you need. Fuck….” Bellamy’s voice was gruff, his eyes only at half-mast.

Clarke’s pace was stuttering as she felt her orgasm approaching. When she slowed down Bellamy took over, thrusting his hips up into her, thumb still on her clit. “Come for me, Clarke.” And then she was falling apart, her body going limp.

“Fuck!” Bellamy flipped them, laying her down so that her back was on the seat, one knee pressed to her chest as he slid back into her. His thrusts were deep and fast, remembering how much she’d enjoyed that the night before. It didn’t take him long before he could feel his own orgasm approaching while Clarke’s nails marked his back. “Can you come again? I want you to come again.” Bellamy’s finger rubbed at her clit again as he leaned forward and sucked at her nipple, biting down on it lightly. And just like that Clarke was coming again and with one last thrust, he was coming with her.

Bellamy collapsed on top of her as they both tried to catch their breath. They laid there for a minute when his phone began to ring. “Shit!” They both jerked apart as Clarke quickly began to throw her clothes back on. “Hello?”

“Hey, Bell. Where are you and Clarke? We’re done with Jasper.” Of course, it was Marcus.

“Oh, we decided to wait in the car.” Bellamy quickly yanked his pants up. 

“Great. Well, we’ll be out in a minute then.”

“Shit, they’re going to know exactly what we were doing in here!” Clarke’s face was flushed red, probably partially due to what they’d just been doing, but also because of the embarrassment.

“No, it’s ok. Get out and open both the doors.” Bellamy just laughed when Clarke just stared at him. “Just trust me, okay?” He leaned forward and kissed her slowly. When he pulled away he jumped out of the car and opened both doors on this side. “Just leave yours open.” He quickly began opening and closing the doors, causing a wind to push through the car. With a glance across the parking lot, he saw the top of Marcus’s head. “Quick! Shut the doors!” They both quickly jumped back into the car, shutting the doors behind them.

“Well, I guess that did help.” Clarke grinned up at him. 

“I told you to trust me.”

Between Marcus, Monty, and Bellamy they were able to convince Clarke to stay for the holiday. Lincoln had looked at her like she was crazy when she’d told him, but he’d told her to call him if she needed anything. 

Over the next few weeks while they waited for Jasper to be released she found herself growing closer to his family. She and Octavia became fast friends while Octavia also became very friendly with Lincoln, much to Bellamy’s chagrin. She and Raven had more in common than she’d thought so they ended up hanging out a lot. She and Monty had already been friends, but it was nice to actually get to spend time with him. She and Bellamy...well they didn’t fight as much anymore and he was in her bed every night. They were keeping it from his family and they thought that they were doing a good job with it, but what they didn’t know was that the rest of the family was placing bets on when they’d get together. 

It was the 23rd when Jasper was released and he’d requested that Clarke come with Marcus to pick him up. He’d said she could wait in the car so that she wouldn’t chance running into her mom and when he arrived at the car, Marcus was nowhere to be found.

“Hey, Griff.” Jasper slid in next to her. “I asked Marcus to give us a minute. I wanted to apologize to you. I wish I would’ve told you about being bi-polar because then you might’ve been able to see it sooner. I’m sorry that I put you through all of that. I know that we’re just friends and I hope that you still want to be friends.”

“It’s okay, Jasper.” Clarke pulled him in for a hug. “I know that wasn’t really you. We’ll always be friends. And now I can keep an eye on you for the rest of the year, although you’re on your own next year.” They laughed together.

When they arrived home everyone piled on Jasper, who was mostly back to his usual self. When a knock came at the door they all watched in confusion as Jasper sprinted for the door. When he came back Maya was with him, their hands entwined, announcing that they were no dating. The rest of the day was just spent together, as a family with the addition of Clarke, Lincoln, Maya, and Murphy. 

It was late at night when Raven cleared her throat, shooting Murphy a look as he squeezed her hand. “There’s something I need to tell you guys.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Finn and I are getting a divorce.”

“What?”

“Finally!”

“What happened?”

Murphy let out a loud whistle that got everyone to fall silent again. “Why don’t we let her finish?”

“Finn has been cheating on me off and on for who knows how long. We tried counseling, but he did it again so I kicked him out.” Raven shook her head. “The divorce will be final after the new year. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, I was just so embarrassed.”

“You have no reason to be embarrassed.” Octavia took her sister into her arms. “You did nothing wrong. That jackass did.” She glanced over Raven’s shoulder, eyes flashing as they met Bellamy’s. Bellamy gave her a small nod before motioning to Murphy and they disappeared.

It was over an hour later when Raven looked around the room, realizing that they were missing. “Where did Murphy and Bellamy go?”

Octavia snickered. “They had some business to take care of.”

“Oh, Jesus! They went after Finn, didn’t they?”

Octavia gave her an innocent look as she shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I can’t believe they went without us!” Jasper pouted next to Monty on the couch. 

“It looks like they didn’t need our help.” Monty showed Jasper his phone and they laughed before Raven snatched it out of his hand.

Finn was taped to a light pole outside of a building in nothing but his boxers with the word “CHEATER” written on his chest and sporting a black eye. “Well, that’s not as bad as I thought they would do.” 

When the boys arrived back home Raven yelled at them both before giving them each a hug before settling onto the couch, curled into Murphy’s side. Clarke was able to find out from her later that Murphy had admitted to having a crush on her since they were kids, but she had never noticed because of Finn. She wasn’t even divorced yet and she wasn’t ready for another relationship, but Murphy had told her that he was willing to wait for her so they were taking it slow.

They had all stayed up too late so they slept most of Christmas Eve day away, but gathered around the table for dinner. The Kanes always had a big dinner on Christmas Eve, because they would have a big brunch on Christmas.

They were about halfway through the dinner when Miller stood up. “If I can have everyone’s attention, please.” He paused as he waited for everyone’s conversations to die down. “I just want to say that I love all of you. You’ve given me a second family, accepting me as one of your own when I was just a kid.” He shot Marcus a smile. “And when Monty and I started dating no one even batted an eye.”

“That’s because everyone was just glad to get you to stop staring at Monty like a lovesick puppy!” Murphy laughed. 

“Thanks, Murph.” Monty rolled his eyes before placing a hand on Monty’s shoulder and turning him so that they were facing each other. “I love you so much, Monty.” Miller reached into his pocket, pulling out a ring as he slid down onto one knee. “Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?”

Someone at the table gasped as Monty nodded, holding out his hand so that MIller could slide the ring onto his finger before they kissed.

“Congratulations, Miller and Monty.” Marcus stood once everyone had calmed down, lifting his glass. “A toast to the happy couple. Aurora would be so happy if she was here right now. She loved you, Miller, just as the rest of us did and I know she would be so happy that you and Monty were getting married.”

Everyone went around the table offering their congratulations. “It’s time for dessert!” Jasper yelled.

Octavia rolled her eyes as she stood up. “Fine, I’ll go get it.”

“No!” Jasper practically tackled Octavia. “I think Bellamy and Clarke should get it.”

Both Bellamy and Clarke gave Jasper a funny look but shrugged their shoulders at they headed for the kitchen.

“What are you up to Jasper?” 

“Nothing,” Jasper gave an innocent smile before hopping over to the doorframe leading to the kitchen and quickly hanging some mistletoe. 

“Seriously Jasper?” Marcus sighed as he shook his head. The first time that Jasper had seen Bellamy and Clarke interact yesterday after returning home, he’d gleefully announced that he shipped ‘Bellarke’ and it was their job to make sure that it happened. 

A few minutes later Clarke and Bellamy appeared in the doorway, pies in hand. 

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” Jasper and Monty chanted, with Octavia, Raven, Miller, and Murphy quickly joining in.

Bellamy and Clarke came to a stop, confusion written all over their faces until Marcus pointed above their heads. They both looked up before their eyes dropped back to one another. 

“Fuck it,” Bellamy muttered before handing his pies to Jasper while Monty quickly took Clarke’s. Bellamy put his hands on the sides of Clarke’s face and turned it up so that their eyes met. Her face was flushed and Bellamy was sure that he was as well. His family could be so fucking embarrassing. “Are you okay with this?”

Clarke grinned. “I mean, they were going to find out eventually anyway, right?”

Bellamy returned her grin before leaning down and kissing her deeply. Behind them, he could hear whistling and cheering, but he just focused his attention on Clarke.

“I knew it! Bellarke for the win!” Jasper’s voice could be heard over everyone else’s.

When Bellamy and Clarke broke apart they couldn’t keep the smiles off their faces. Bellamy took her hand in his as he looked at his family. They might not be perfect, they might not always get along, but he wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. Nor would he trade Clarke for anything in the world. He might not have liked her in the beginning, but that was on him, not her. He would eventually have to thank Jasper for bringing her home because he knew that she was going to change his life.

**Author's Note:**

> Writing about bipolar is hard for me as I do not have it, but my younger sister does. I spoke with her about the story as well as did some other research on the internet. With that in mind and the experiences that I have from dealing with my sister, I chose to write this. The intake at the hospital is not how it is handled, I am aware, but this is fiction. If anything else in this story doesn't feel right to you, just remember that every experience is different. I did not write this to make light of bipolar, but because everything about Jasper since the end of season 2 has always screamed mental illness, if not bipolar at times, and I wanted to write that. 
> 
> With that being said, I hope that you enjoyed the story!


End file.
